The people of York should get a say in whether Prince Andrew is stripped of his Duke of York title after he was stripped of his honorary military titles, a local MP has suggested.
Rachael Maskell, 49, the Labour MP for York Central said the case of Andrew showed that there needs to be a debate on how aristocratic titles which ‘take their name from a geographical location’ are assigned.
She previously said that Andrew’s title as Duke of York is ‘untenable’ after he was stripped of his titles amid a court battle with Virginia Giuffre, who accuses him of having sex with her when she was 17. Andrew denies the allegations.
He stopped using his HRH style and was stripped of his prestigious honorary military roles by the Queen less than a week ago.
Today, during questions for Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg, Ms Maskell called for a debate on whether the future of his title as Duke of York should be ‘determined’ by ‘local people’.
She cited the precedent of a 1917 act of Parliament used to strip enemies of the United Kingdom of their British peerages during the First World War.
Rachael Maskell (left), 49, the Labour MP for York Central said the case of Andrew (right) showed that there needs to be a debate on how aristocratic titles which ‘take their name from a geographical location’ are assigned
During questions for Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg, Ms Maskell called for a debate on whether the future of his title as Duke of York should be ‘determined’ by ‘local people’
She said: ‘My city of York has developed an interest about how titles are assigned and how they can be removed from people who take the name of a geographical location in their title.
‘In 1917, Parliament enacted the Titles Deprivation Act to remove a title for the act of treason.
‘Will the Leader make time to debate new legislation that empowers local people to determine the circumstances in which titles are awarded and removed and how that reflects on the geographical location from which a title is taken?’
She added: ‘York has a global reputation not just through its rich cultural heritage but for the social values it espouses.’
Commons Leader Mr Rees-Mogg replied that the 1917 Titles Deprivation Act was ‘an extremely interesting act of Parliament’, adding: ‘I understand the successors to the dukes who were deprived could petition to have their titles restored if they so wished.’
But he gave no indication that MPs would be allowed to debate Ms Maskell’s proposals, and said: ‘As regards the award of territorial designations, that is a matter for the sovereign.’
After Andrew was stripped of his military roles and HRH title, Ms Maskell joined senior York city councillors in calling for the Duke to be no longer associated with the city.
At the time, she said: ‘It’s untenable for the Duke of York to cling on to his title another day longer; this association with York must end.
‘There’s a very serious allegation made against this man of privilege and entitlement.
Nearly nine in ten residents in York have demanded that Prince Andrew be stripped of his dukedom as the dramatic fallout from his sex abuse lawsuit rumbles on, a poll suggests
Andrew at York Racecourse to open the new weighing room in May 2015
The prince pictured with his accuser Virginia Roberts and Ghislaine Maxwell
‘I’m working with agencies to tackle sexual violence and misogyny.’
Nearly nine in ten residents in York have demanded that Prince Andrew be stripped of his dukedom as the dramatic fallout from his bombshell sex abuse lawsuit rumbles on, a poll suggested yesterday.
A survey by York’s daily newspaper The Press found that 88 per cent of its readers want to see the prince’s Duke of York honours taken away from him as the prospect of a court showdown in the US looms.
York appears to be distancing itself from the so-called ‘pariah prince’ after the Queen sensationally stripped him of his honorary military roles, royal patronages, and official ‘HRH’ status last week.
Andrew is facing a lawsuit from a woman who claims she was trafficked to have sex with him by paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. His accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre alleges she was forced to have sex with the duke on three occasions when she was a minor under US law.
Andrew denies the allegations and will fight the lawsuit as a ‘private citizen’. He is not being accused of criminal wrongdoing.
The Duke of York Stakes, one of York Racecourse’s most prestigious racing events, revealed it is planning to rename the sprint ‘The 1895 Duke of York Stakes’ to ‘better reflect its long history and the specific Duke of York that it remembers’.
A York Racecourse spokesman told The Press that the Stakes was introduced in 1895 and named after Prince George, the Duke of York at the time – later King George V.
Meanwhile, more than 900 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for Andrew’s dukedom to be revoked.
The petition claims that Andrew has ‘a lack of morals, lack of humanity and lack of judgement by protracted fraternising with Jeffrey Epstein’ and has a ‘total lack of caring for others’.
‘These are not Yorkshire values. Having him associated with such a proud, fair and straight talking county is contradictory and embarrassing,’ it adds.
And pubs across the country are debating whether to rename their Duke of York pubs as Andrew’s case continues.
In Marylebone in west London, the manager of The Duke of York Gastropub said there would be a meeting this week to discuss a potential name change.
The manager, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘We won’t decide either way until next week in a meeting amongst the owners. It’s a business change of name with the bank, and on credit card machines, so it’s not just straightforward, but no decision’s been made on that at the moment.’
In a round of interviews this morning, the Armed Forces minister said the associations kept by Andrew were ‘horrifically ill-advised’.
Speaking on LBC, James Heappey said Andrew had ’caused enormous challenges for the royal family in a year when we should be celebrating the extraordinary service of Her Majesty the Queen as she reaches her platinum jubilee’.
He said he could not give any further comments which ‘might risk being too
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